Alabama – Sorority Recruitment

Alabama-Specific Pre-Recruitment MUST-KNOW INFO going into 2023

Sorority recruitment does NOT begin in August.

• Even though the University of Alabama Panhellenic website says otherwise, recruitment DOES NOT BEGIN IN AUGUST with formal recruitment. The sororities start making lists of PNMs they’re excited about in JANUARY of the girls’ senior year. At Bama, it’s not just important – it’s absolutely essential to get on the recruitment team’s radar as soon as you commit so that the chapter is aware of your existence.
  

At Alabama, Letters of Recommendation are a MUST.

• How does a PNM get on a recruitment team’s radar if they don’t know current members at that chapter? One way is with Letters of Recommendation / also called Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs).
  • If you do not know anyone in the chapters (and even if you do) you should STILL obtain these.
  • Alabama has an extremely competitive recruitment process, and you absolutely need these if you plan to rush here.
  • Why? Aside from the fact that turning these in shows interest, if you don’t personally know anyone and you aren’t able to register for recruitment until May (when Bama’s registration typically goes live), turning in Letters of Recommendation helps the sorority chapters:
    • 1) know of your existence
    • 2) get to know you before recruitment and most importantly – get excited about you!

Think of it this way: if the chapters don’t know about you ahead of time, they can’t get excited about you during recruitment and it’s easier to slip through the cracks. It’s like expecting a cute guy from one of your 100+ person college classes who doesn’t know you yet to ask you out. You could be the cutest, sweetest, most interesting girl in the class, but if you haven’t introduced yourself, a date’s pretty unlikely, right?

——-> PS – Have you seen our Sorority Recruitment Guide with a step-by-step Checklist & Action Plan? Click here! <——–

Do not ignore the deadlines!
There are 2500-3000 of you and 4-6 members on each chapter’s recruitment team.

• In order to maximize your chances of receiving more invites back, Alabama Letters of Recommendation are due on – or even better, before – May 1, regardless of the listed dates on the Alabama University Panhellenic website & Instagram account, Alabama sorority websites, and your city’s local Panhellenic Association’s suggested dates.
  • Yes, technically you can turn them in later, but think of this like you would a job application.
  • If a company opens a job application for 90 days, sure you absolutely can apply the day before they take it down. But if they’ve already found the right candidates and they’re excited about them, and there are only so many open jobs – what do you think your chance of getting that job is going to be? Less likely than the earlier applicants with similar qualifications – that’s for sure.
  • Ignore the misleading deadlines you see that are designed to make everyone feel included and have your Letters of Rec turned in by May 1st if you want to maximize your chances of receiving more invites from more chapters. (If you’re reading this after May 1st – deep breath, don’t panic. You’re behind, BUT it’s still better to turn them in ASAP vs. not at all. Not sure if it’s still worth doing? Depends on how far along in the summer you are.) *If you’re unsure if you’ve missed the window for recommendations, you’re welcome to contact us and we can help you fully understand what to do / when it’s due / and how to expedite this process.
  • We can help PNMs navigate this entire process surrounding what these letters are, where to turn them in, and who can/should complete them, but we can’t do anything after the window to turn them in closes. What are Letters of Recommendation (LORs), Recruitment Information Forms (RIFs), and Letters of Support (LOS)? Read our 5-min blog post.

Alabama has a mandatory PNM Video assignment that’s due with sorority registration.

• PNMs are required to answer specific prompts and record a video of themselves answering these.
• This video is due along with registration over the summer prior to formal recruitment and will be factored into your PNM score and impact whether or not you return for round 2. Take it seriously and turn it in early!
• We help PNMs with scripting, filming tips, and suggestions on how to be more memorable in their videos with 1×1 coaching sessions, so if you want guidance – that’s what we’re here for!